As men approach their forties, subtle changes may begin to take place. They may start putting on weight, lose stamina (both in the bedroom and out) or find themselves losing interest in things that previously excited them. Some may appear less decisive or sure of themselves, which may herald a full-blown mid-life crisis where they try to recoup their dwindling youth (often with disastrous effects). A few will become moody or suffer depression.

Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) is the number one cause of death for men and women around the world, with one person dying every 2 seconds somewhere in the world from it. More people die from blocked arteries, of one sort or another, each year than all the other causes put together.

As we age, our blood vessels tend to harden, restricting the blood supply to that vital organ. If it is a blood vessel in the brain, it can cause a stroke. If it is in the heart, it can cause chest pain (known as “angina”) or a heart attack. Indeed, 50% of people who suffer a massive heart attack never make it to hospital or die shortly afterwards.So why does it happen?

A common perception among many is that the aches and pains that come with aging are an inescapable part of getting older and that we have to just accept them.

Dr Stephen Chan disagrees. “The most widespread misconception about getting older is that we can't do anything about it, and that simply isn't true. There's a lot we can do, and we just have to understand the process of ageing,” he says.